"GNW Russian Horse Grenadiers - looking for information" Topic

I've started work on a Russian army for the Great Northern War. I understand that Peter the Great decided that he only needed dragoons in his cavalry, but despite that there were a few regiments of horse grenadiers as well.

Can anyone point me to a good source of information about horse grenadiers? How did they differ from dragoons? (I mean other than the fancy mitre caps!). Did they have a different battlefield role? Did they actually throw grenades from horseback, or were they pretty much like elite dragoons? I'm tempted to add a few of them just because they look fancy but I'd like to use them properly if I do!

Thanks in advance :^)

They were simply "elites" of dragoons.

Each dragoon regiment had 10 companies, one was the grenadier company.

Early in the war, these grenadiers were put in ad hoc formations, in 1708 they were combined to 3 fixed horse grenadier regiments(of 10 companies each), and from 1709 they appear to all get the classic green uniform with red cuffs.

General info on the Russian cavalry.
link

As Truls says, these were simply dragoons grenadier companies hived off and in mitre caps, possibly slightly better troops but I doubt there was much in it. Same tactics uniforms etc. Although pre 1708 they probably had the different uniforms in each company of their original parent Regiment. As Truls is doing squadrons each of his units are half one regiment and half another so very colourful. I have been lazy with my Grenadier regiment and just painted them all the same as the unit in the Osprey, blue faced red.

Great, thanks for the responses. So other than being of (potentially!) better quality, I don't need to worry about horse grenadiers being much different from dragoons – and I can go ahead and add a few mitre caps to my cavalry!

Yes. You might give them one higher rating over the regular dragoons in whatever rules you use, or not.

Here's my take, each 3 represent roughly 100 men corresponding to one company. I'm toying with the idea of doing the whole reigment, so 30 figures.